FARNBOROUGH, U.K. - General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) in San Diego announced two weapons integration milestones for its MQ-9B uncrewed aircraft system Monday, completing qualification testing of two precision-guided weapons for the Royal Air Force's Protector RG Mk1 while advancing development work to integrate Kongsberg's Joint Strike Missile (JSM) onto the platform.
The announcements highlight continued expansion of the MQ-9B's weapons integration portfolio as operators seek to field the aircraft across intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), maritime security, and precision strike missions using national weapons inventories.
The first milestone completes qualification testing for the United Kingdom's Protector RG Mk1, the Royal Air Force variant of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian. Conducted under approval from the UK Ministry of Defence, the campaign qualified the MBDA Brimstone 3 air-to-surface missile and Raytheon UK's Paveway IV precision-guided bomb for carriage and release from the aircraft. Testing concluded 18 June at GA-ASI's flight test facilities in Southern California.
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UK qualification
GA-ASI said the effort marked the first customer weapons qualification program managed directly by the company, concluding six years of collaboration among the manufacturer, the Royal Air Force, the UK Ministry of Defence, and industry partners.
Weapons qualification campaigns typically involve activities such as structural analysis, aerodynamic safe-separation testing, stores management software integration, and flight testing to certify that munitions can be safely carried and released throughout an aircraft's approved operating envelope.
Brimstone 3 provides precision engagement of moving and stationary targets using millimeter-wave radar and semi-active laser guidance. Paveway IV combines GPS/inertial navigation and laser guidance to engage fixed targets under a range of operational conditions.
"The Royal Air Force is our MQ-9B launch customer, and we're here to support them in any way we can," said David R. Alexander, president of GA-ASI. "Leading the qualification test was a unique experience, and we're excited to complete the process so successfully for the RAF."
Missile integration
The company also announced progress on a jointly funded effort with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to integrate the Joint Strike Missile onto MQ-9B. GA-ASI and Kongsberg completed the System Requirements Review (SRR) and Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the program June 30 in Kongsberg, Norway.
Completion of the SRR and PDR establishes system-level requirements and a preliminary integration architecture before the program proceeds into detailed design, software development, and hardware integration.
Originally developed for the F-35, the Joint Strike Missile is also being adapted for additional launch platforms. The missile is designed to engage high-value land and maritime targets at stand-off ranges using a low-observable airframe, advanced mission planning, and an imaging infrared seeker with automatic target recognition.
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"We recognize the value JSM brings to our MQ-9B platform," said Niki Johnson, GA-ASI vice president of international capture and government affairs. "This integration effort shows how industry can effectively collaborate to integrate new capabilities and make them available quickly to our warfighters."
Taken together, the two announcements illustrate a broader trend toward expanding the mission flexibility of medium-altitude, long-endurance uncrewed aircraft through integration of customer-specific weapons. Rather than developing unique aircraft variants, manufacturers increasingly are adapting common airframes to support different national weapons inventories and operational requirements.
MQ-9B is the latest member of GA-ASI's Predator-family aircraft and includes the SkyGuardian, SeaGuardian, and Protector variants. Compared with earlier MQ-9 aircraft, MQ-9B incorporates automatic takeoff and landing, detect-and-avoid capability, lightning protection, de-icing systems, and other design changes intended to support certification for operations in non-segregated airspace.
